MOMANYI MARUBERI OSORO 18S01ALLB023

WRITING FOR NEWSPAPER (COM 303)

FACILITATOR: DR. MARTHA MBUGGUSS DUE: Feb 6th

TATTOOS ARE TAKING OVER

Take a walk thorough most universities at this point, tattoos are everywhere. In almost every

clique of students, one or two has a tattoo. This ancient from of art has permeated of society and

right now it borders contemporary. You might know someone who has a tattoo or is planning to

get one soon. While tattoos are viewed as beauty supplements, the bible is vehemently against

them. But with Christian values losing water in the current saturated belief climate, tattoos have

exploded, unopposed, into mainstream culture.

Tattoos have developed with civilization and are as old as time. Egyptian mummies were found

to have tattoos, and the oldest tattoo is believed to be from 3370 BC and 3100 BC.

Different groups use tattoos for various reasons. The US Army for example, tattoos are used for

identification, this isn’t the case in the clownish Kenya military. Members of armed forces in

Kenya are not allowed to have tattoos.

For a long time, tattoos have been viewed as sign of rebellion against the establishment. And

while young people have been presented as permissive in such, they’re other young folk who are

not interested in getting tattoos. Mercy Njue, a third-year student at Africa Nazarene, isn’t

remotely captivated by tattoos. “I just don’t like tattoos. But I can let my child have a tattoo, if

he/ she wants to. Because I won’t hold control over my child’s body. And I have dated guys with

tattoos, they’re pretty nice. I don’t think tattoos affect a person’s personality.”
Juliet Abdi, a businesswoman, has a very visible tattoo on her arm. She got it because she wanted

to have a visual representation of what she felt in her heart. “I’ve had a lot of pain in my life. I

wanted to have this tattoo capture the pain. The procedure was five hours long. The artist never

stopped till it was done, I did not use anaesthesia. Now it’s healed and I feel pretty good.

Business hasn’t been better.”

In spite of the differing stand that people take when it comes to tattoos, one thing is clear, they

create employment and are a fierce expression of art and freedom. Alan Kipkorir, a tattoo artist,

wouldn’t swap his job for anything else. “I studied architecture in the campus. But jobs were

hard to come by, I learnt how to draw tattoos and for the past ten years, drawing on people’s

bodies has paid my bills. I’ve grown in the craft I hope to open an art school and teach the new

crop of tattooists.”

Parents haven’t shared in the enthusiasm around tattoos. Joseph Likimani, wouldn’t want any of

his children to get tattoos. “I think it’s morally wrong to have tattoos. Our traditions don’t allow

such and the bible also doesn’t permit us to have tattoos.”

The debate around the tattoo phenomena isn’t going to go away soon. And while people argue on

what’s right or wrong, what’s moral and what’s not moral, more tattoo shops are coming up and

young people are getting sucked into the tattoo façade. One thing is clear though as light and

day, tattoos are here to stay.